The Stables
by AndrogynousOne
Summary: One more guest shows up and she ends up stuck in the barn with Mannix, who decides to take advantage of his good fortune. Smutty smut ensues.
In the middle of his sentence, there was a loud, banging knock on the door. Mannix turned his head slightly toward Major Warren, without taking his eyes of the men before him. Warren was looking back at the door now that now was silent. He slowly pointed his gun at the door as he was waited for something else to happen.

A woman's voice came from the other side of the door, yelling over the house of the wind, "hello?!" She knocked again. "Can someone help me?!" She did not sound hurried, as though she were being chased, but desperate as though she had nowhere else to go and young, almost childlike. Too young to shoot without knowing for sure. "You don't have to let me in! Could I just stay in the stables with my horse?!"

Warren turned his gun back to the men in front of him and directed Mannix quietly, "Mannix, get rid of her."

"Now, by 'get rid of her' you mean...?"

"Get her into those stables. Keep her there until I come to you."

Mannix opened his mouth to object but thought better of it and stepped back slowly, lowering his gun as Warren stepped back towards the door as well motioning for the return of his pistol. Mannix handed it back slowly before yanking the door open and stepping outside.

He did not see anything but a horse was outside until he approached its face and found a mousy little thing on the other side of it, rubbing its leg. The horse had stepped back when he came close and it caught her attention. The most curious thing about her was how small she was. She was more than a whole head shorter than him; small even for a woman. She could not have even been five feet tall.

She wore no hat or hood so the wind was blowing her incredibly long black hair wildly in her face. She kept trying to throw it back but the wind was having none of that. He could hear her spitting it out of her mouth. She finally consented to gathering it on one side of her neck. "I need to get her inside," she said first. "She's my brother's horse. I get her killed and I'll be next."

The horse would not let Mannix take her so the girl had to lead her to the stables while he went ahead to get the door open. As she pulled the horse inside, Mannix watched her and realized just how small she really was as she tried to lead the animal about. How she had ever managed to be seated upon the horse in the first place, he could not imagine.

Once she got it into its own stable, she pulled her brown leather duster coat off and threw it over the horse's back.

"Whoa, whoa, what do you think you're doin'?" Mannix chuckled as he watched her.

She swallowed hard as she was still catching her breath. "She's cold."

"Not as cold as you 'bout to be, girl."

"It's my brother's duster."

"Oh? Is that why you couldn't take a step without stumblin' over it?"

"He's tall," she responded curtly, turning back to the horse since it was not mocking her shortness.

After he watched her a few more seconds, curiosity demanded he ask, "how old are you?"

She looked back at him holding her nose between both her gloved hands to warm it. "Nineteen. Why?"

"Don't it seem pointless to you?" he asked flatly, staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"What?"

"To answer a question and wonder why I asked it afterwards?"

"I guess so. Does it really matter in what order I do them?"

"Well… it might," Mannix spoke slowly. He leaned back against a beam in the center of the barn. He kept his head low, looking up at her from under his brow. It made her nervous and she put her hands in the pocket of her other coat, unsure what else to do with them. "It depends on what _I_ intend to do with said information."

"Of what importance is my age to you?"

His expression remained blank for a moment until he started laughing suddenly. It irritated her. What exactly was so amusing to him? Her naivety? "Oh, it don't really matter at all but now I _am_ curious." He pushed himself away from the beam and went to stand in front of her. "What exactly could bring a nineteen year old girl out in the worst day of the year and all by her lonesome?"

"Necessity."

"You fixin' to get yo'self killed… or worse?"

"I wouldn't be out here if I didn't need to be."

Mannix allowed her statement to soak in for a minute. She stood staring at him, as if she were daring him to challenge her again. "You got a name?"

"Why, yes. Yes, I do," she nodded with a little smile, making him work harder for the answer he wanted.

"You wanna tell me what it is?" He smiled at the attitude he was getting out of her. It was slightly amusing.

"I might."

"I suppose that means you want somethin' from me first then? What'll it be, woman?"

"You tell me yours first."

"Ohh," he looked down at the floor as he smiled then turned back to her. "Is that all? You got me all eager here thinkin' you had somethin' a little more excitin' in mind."

One of her eyebrows went up and her head tilted slightly. "Like what?" She seemed genuinely confused about his statement.

"It's Chris."

"Are you sure?"

He scoffed but could hardly help smiling, "honestly, you get more than those jackets off and you can call me whatever you like."

The statement made her uncomfortable so she laughed about it, thinking he must have been joking. "Yeah, yeah sure."

"So how 'bout it, girl… you ready to give me yo' name yet?"

She examined him a moment, trying to be sure it was something she was willing to tell this man. "Jessie."

He smiled suddenly, "well, miss Jessie, I must say, I seem to be rather fortunate to have been here as you passed."

"What?" She pulled her jacket up higher on her neck.

"Move." He closed the stable door on her horse, forcing Jessie to step out next to him. He looked down at her and she was focusing her attention elsewhere looking at the horse on the other side of the barn.

She was still holding her horse's reins in her hand and looked down at them as though she had just realized they were there. There was a nail on a beam next to the stable door. It was above her head but Jessie still reached up to try to hang the reins. She had to fling them but they would not catch on the nail.

Mannix was behind her suddenly. She could feel his hips pressed against her as he took the reins in both his hands and slowly hung them up for her. Her body tensed, seeing as how she was uncomfortable with all manners of physical contact but certainly never had anyone pressed up against her backside and for so long. He looked down at her, without budging from where he was, with his body pressed against the lower half of hers. He stared at her with the same intense but blank expression from before that made her uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," she said finally and slipped out from between him and the beam with a little nod like a bow. "Was I in your way?"

Was she really so oblivious to the fact that he wanted her or was it naivety? He said nothing but sighed disappointedly as she laughed away her nerves. She pulled the collar of her coat close to her neck again.

"What you got under there?" he asked genuinely curious.

"Oh, nothing," she shrugged. She thought nothing of what she said until she saw him smiling at her. "Hey, I didn't mean _actually_ nothing. I meant nothing of any importance."

"Ain't that for me to decide? Or are you presumin' to know what's important to me?"

She quickly got nervous again. "What do you want to know?"

He covered his mouth with hand and let it slide down his face. "For now, I'll settle for knowin' if you're packin'."

"Packing what?"

He chuckled again, "well, I assume that's a no." He moved some of the hay on the floor around with his boot. "You see, that _really_ don't quite add up to me. You out here in this shit by _yo'self_ … and you ain't got a pistol?"

"They're too heavy," she admitted quickly.

"Show me."

"I don't have one."

"Then show me that you ain't got one."

"Shouldn't I be the one concerned about you?"

"Are you?"

Jessie raised an eyebrow and looked unimpressed. She took her coat off and tossed it to him. He laid it over his arm and patted it. She had not been wearing anything special underneath as she said. It was only a red shirt, black vest and grey pants stuffed into her short brown boots. Satisfied with checking her coat, Mannix hung it over the gate of the stable that her horse was staying in.

"There," she exhaled sharply and threw her hands up. "Satisfied?"

"Not quite."

"What now?" He smiled at how irritated she was yet did not bother to object.

"Vest."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Again, she did not even try to deny him but hurriedly popped open the buttons of her vest to get it over with. She held it open for him to see her already obvious lack of a weapon then pulled it off and threw it at his face. Her remaining clothing was fitted and there was nowhere left for her to hide anything. If anything was hidden in the clothes she still had on, it would be obvious. "You want my shirt too?" her sarcasm revealed her agitation.

Mannix pulled her vest from his face and balled it up. "No." He threw it back to her and she fumbled to catch it. As she straightened it out, getting ready to put it back on, he had approached her. He snatched it from her hands and put it over the gate of another stable.

"What?" She stepped back, feeling he was too close again. "I did what you said."

"Well, I ain't quite satisfied yet. Turn around."

She sighed, "what do you want from me?"

"I _want_ … you to turn around." She groaned but she once again, did not bother refusing. She held her hands out at her sides, expecting to be searched. Instead, Mannix brought each of her arms back and took the gloves off each hand, putting them in his back pocket.

"What're you doing?"

Mannix stood looking down at her thinking how warm it would be inside her. He could hardly resist charging right in but he was going put it off just to see how long he could bring himself to wait. He carefully placed his hands on her waist and she felt her arms prickle. He kept them there, holding her, savoring that moment and enjoying the view before him. He pulled her back suddenly, pressing her against him. His face was resting against the side of her head and she could hear and feel his excited warm breath against her ear.

Jessie swallowed hard, focusing on staring straight ahead as her face grew steadily hotter. She was grateful that at the very least, she did not have to look at him or have him see her look so uncomfortable. She could not understand why he was doing this to her. No man had ever wanted her before. Even if they had, they had certainly not put their hands on her. She believed he would soon change his mind and stop.

With her warm body pressed back against him, against his growing length, Mannix was not thinking nearly the same thing. He wanted to be absolutely sure he made it clear to her what he wanted so that even through her naivety, she would understand. His cold hands went up to her breasts, gripping them roughly. They were too big for her small hands but fit perfectly into his. In the middle of a gasp, she shut her eyes and clenched her teeth to quiet herself then groaned softly. He let his fingers slide to the tips to pinch her nipples then pulled her forward by them. A sharp gasp of surprise escaped her mouth and her upper body reeled with them since he was not being overly gentle with her. He pressed his hands flat against her chest, pulling her back to him forcefully.

One of his hands left her chest and went into her hair. He tilted her head away from his face so he could bury his mouth in her neck. The sudden scraping of his teeth on her neck was assuaged by his tongue brushing over the area then sucking the soft skin between his lips.

As he played with her neck and both his hands went back to show attention to her breasts, she could feel something hard between his hips pushing against her skin. It seemed that once she had noticed it, he began to grind it against her intentionally. He took her right hand and pulled it behind her while turning her face to look at him with the other hand. He put her small hand between their bodies, placing it against his length and held it there.

Looking down at her still, he asked, "how's that feel?"

"Hard."

"Very. You got a warm place for me to put it?"

Jessie tried to look behind her, "what is it?"

He smiled, amused by her lack of experience and rested his forehead against hers. "I'll show you in a minute." Still holding her hand against his member, he closed her delicate little hand tighter around him and made her start stroking him. "Now you keep doin' it just like that."

"It doesn't hurt?" she wondered as she obediently continued to do what he wanted even after he let go of her hand.

He scoffed as his hands went to open the buttons on her shirt. "That's funny." He did not open it all the way, just down to the bottom of her breasts and he pulled them out over the shirt. Keeping the bottom buttoned held them up and pushed them together. Now that she was holding her face over her shoulder, he could see all her expressions. He kept tugging on her nipples, pulling them as far as they would go and holding her at that point for a while so he could watch her wince softly at his handling of her body. "You like that?" he asked with a little crooked smile.

She groaned as she replied, "it hurts but… it also doesn't."

"How 'bout we find out just how much you like it?" He released her breasts, pulling her pants away from her stomach with one hand. She shivered as his other cold hand went inside her pants and she felt his hand over her panties. He laid his fingers slowly against her warm mound and she felt them push against her, rubbing her once in a small circle.

Jessie could hardly believe he had done that. Everything about what he was doing was dirty yet she had not bothered to object. _Did_ she like it? Is that why she was throbbing so much and why her pants felt wet? She knew she liked the attention but the physical contact was new to her. She did not think it was decent for her to enjoy any of it. This man was not anything to her. She had only met him a few minutes ago and now he had his hand on her wetness and she was stroking him as he directed her to do. Now that she was thinking about it, whatever it was that she was rubbing through his pants seemed to have gotten harder in her hand. Squeezing it was not as easy as it had been earlier and her hand was starting to get tired.

Mannix pulled his hand out of her pants and showed her his glistening fingers. He kissed the bottom of her ear and whispered, "you seem to be enjoyin' it plenty."

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around quickly, taking her warm hand away from his throbbing member. He held her still before him, looking down at her exposed breasts, pressed together between the sides of her shirt and already hard from the cold and his playing with them. His eyes went up from her chest to her face that was looking over her shoulder, avoiding eye contact with him. He lay on hand against her cheek, turning her toward him slowly and she closed her eyes softly.

Jessie was not sure why could not look at him. She was already largely exposed before him already and by now, Mannix had his hands everywhere on her that he should not have. She thought that even if she were enjoying this, she should not act as if she did. While she was mentally scolding herself with her eyes closed, she felt something even stranger than the feeling of his fingers against her heat. His warm mouth had closed over one of her breasts.

The strangeness of it had forced her to look and she opened her eyes to see him. He was sucking it into mouth then letting it fall free with a quiet pop before switching to the other. Almost instinctively, for no logical reason she could imagine, Jessie cradled his head tenderly in both her hands, feeling someone's hair other than her own for the first time. She could feel his tongue pushing her nipple around but she preferred when he pulled his head back, sucking on her and came back, smothering his face in her chest as though he could simply not get enough of them. He pulled back, holding her nipple between his teeth and staying there, looking up at her as he did so. Each time he would let her nipple fall from his teeth, he would crack a taunting smile at her before going back to repeat it on the other. Her face was so hot that she had forgotten she was supposed to be cold.

He stopped suddenly and looked up at her as though he had just realized something. His brow was slightly furrowed and his mouth was open slightly. He seemed surprised as though she had said something rude. He stood up straight, maintaining the same expression.

"What?" she inquired softly.

One of his hands went to the back of her head as he leaned forward to kiss her. It did not feel like the romantic gesture Jessie had been told it was. Her mouth was empty one second and the next it was stuffed with his tongue, almost gagging her in the first few seconds. He pulled it back slightly and began exploring her mouth, his tongue slapping against hers, which she could hardly move now. As odd as it was for her, he seemed to like it, with his contented moaning into her mouth.

Mannix took her left hand and put it behind his neck, for her to hold onto him. She did not hear him unzip his pants so he could free himself of the constraints of his pants. He took her right hand and wrapped it around his now painfully swollen cock.

She tried to take her hand back, startled at the fact that she was feeling the warmth of his skin this time. He held her there and made her stroke him fast between their bodies. She wanted to see what she was holding but at the same time, she was unsure. At the very least, she did know it was meant to go inside her. What if she thought it looked gross? What if she decided she did not want him inside her? Would he even care?

Mannix wanted to see her enjoy herself. In fact, he was eager to be the one to educate her. He loved how obedient she was. She was like clay in his hands; he could make her do whatever he wanted. He began to think that at some point, she would do them without being made or told to.

To test that theory, he released her hand that he had been using to fondle himself. His tongue was still in her mouth and he kept it that way so neither of them could say anything. The pace at which she pumped at his cock actually increased. She figured if he liked it when she did it fast, she thought he would like it even more if she did it faster. He rested both his hands on the contours of her thighs, sliding them up and down as she worked on him. They slid back to firmly grip both sides of her ass, his fingers digging into her. One hand slapped her hard and her whole body jumped against him. He finally broke the kiss to smile down at her and Jessie squeezed him harder, in an effort to punish him.

He leaned back slightly and tilted her head down so she could finally see her hand pumping away at his cock. It was an odd sight but certainly not as disturbing as she had anticipated it would be. "You pretty damn good at that, woman," he said softly, putting his hand in her hair.

"Am I?" she chuckled. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

He kissed the side of her head and asked, "you want me to put it inside you?"

"Um…" She giggled through her nervousness, "I don't know about that."

"Let's see if I can persuade you." Jessie felt his right hand slide into the back of her pants over the middle of her ass. His fingers found the hole he wanted instantly and she felt them rub against her. She assumed that would be the end of it until Mannix shoved two of his fingers up inside her.

She tensed instantly, lowering her head and releasing her grip on him. He pulled her close and she gripped his arms. He pulled his fingers back only to push them inside again. She made a soft squeak through her clenched teeth and bit her bottom lip as she whined softly.

Mannix enjoyed watching her pained expressions as he manipulated her body. He was eager to be inside her, no doubt, but he knew that the longer he put it off, the better it would feel in the end. He was still having fun toying with her and getting a feel for where he intended to blow his load. She was tight around his fingers, practically holding them inside her. He assumed it was likely because she had never been dominated before. It was all new and therefore exciting to her.

The panties behind his hand were soaked and he could feel her juices coating his hand. It made him wish he were not being so patient about entering her. She was now so moist, it had gotten to a point that they could hear his fingers splattering her juices about. She was becoming even tenser against him and he felt her beginning to grow tighter around his fingers. He pulled his them out of her suddenly.

She relaxed as though the worst of it were now over. Mannix showed her his dripping wet fingers. "You ready now? You look ready." She said nothing. Her eyes were heavy and she looked exhausted but she nodded. "Good. Open your mouth." Without even considering the command, Jessie immediately obliged. He shoved his wet fingers into her mouth, all the way back and she started to gag. "No. You clean my fingers off." She closed her lips around the but her eyes were still rolling back with her gagging as she tried to lick her own juices off his hand. "Yeah, just like that." He moved his fingers around in her mouth as though he were still playing with her pussy, moving them from side to side. Her saliva was dripping down her chin and onto her exposed breasts. He pulled his fingers out quickly so that anything left on them was wiped off by her closed lips. "There's a good girl. On your knees for me."

"Wait, what?"

"To your knees."

She obeyed but she was now truly hesitant. Mannix put his hand on her head and she pressed her hands flat against his hips, holding him back. "Wait!" To her surprise, he did. "What if… what if I don't like it? Do I still have to do it?"

The question was ridiculous but it was clearly a legitimate concern of hers that was making her anxious. "I won't make you but you won't know how it is until you try."

She smiled sweetly with a quick nod, "okay." She scooted herself closer and kept her hands resting against his hips. He was still holding the back of her head and brought her face closer but did not force her. It surprised him when she almost eagerly put her mouth on him and immediately went to work.

It did not taste like anything to her. There was a smell. Not a bad one but there was one. It was not terrible, as she had imagined it to be. What surprised her more than anything was when she felt it pulse against her tongue. Her eyes widened and she was afraid what was inside would come out in her mouth.

"Oh, I ain't ready just yet," he consoled her, petting her head. "When I am, you'll know." Mannix watched her do her best for a little while longer, her head bobbing and twisting from side to side. It was pleasant but not as exciting as he would have liked. "We're going to try somethin' else." He gathered up her hair in his hand and pulled her head forward and back quickly. The sounds she made as his cock was thrust in and out of her mouth were tantalizing for both of them.

Jessie started to like the feeling of being used. He was using her for his own needs and desires but he had not forced her into anything. He wanted her, he got her and now she wanted him to do with her as he pleased but she was not going to reveal that to him.

"Can you take me deeper?" he asked her. Jessie looked up but did not bother responding. She just kept running her tongue under the head of pulsing cock. She had not objected so Mannix started to pull her closer slowly. Again, she kept her lips wrapped around him even as she gagged on his cock pushing into the back of her throat. She started trying to push him back but he held her there for a few more seconds before finally letting go.

Mannix had expected her to fall back and cough. Instead, she stood latched onto him and went right back to what she had been doing before. In fact, after he had done it, she started doing it herself; taking him down her throat and gagging herself on him. Each time she would stop, he would push himself back inside for a few more seconds. Her eyes were full of tears from gagging so much but it did not keep him from pulling her face close until he was balls deep in her mouth. The last time he did it, he pulled her head back, taking her mouth off himself.

He held her chin in one hand and knelt down in front of her. "Damn… you are so much prettier with my cock in your mouth."

"Thank you… I think," she said just before he kissed her.

When he released her, he laid his forehead against hers and told her, "you know, I wanted you instantly but you look _even_ better chokin' on my dick."

"Good," she said with a smile, "I actually did like it."

"Yeah? Well, that's probably why you were so good at it then. See, I knew I was lucky to be here. Lay back."

She did so quickly. After having him in her mouth and loving everything about it, she was now eager to see what else he could teach her to like. On his knees at her feet, Mannix hastily pulled off her boots, literally throwing them aside. He took both her ankles in his hands and dragged her closer to him. His hands went to the top of her pants and he tugged on them repeatedly to yank them down. Her barely buttoned white shirt was all that remained of her clothing now. When Mannix got his first look at her nearly completely bare before him, he exhaled sharply as though he could hardly believe his luck. He took her pants off one leg only to allow himself easier access without taking the time to get them off her completely.

Again, he pulled her closer then leaned over her, looking directly down at her face. He bent her legs up against his sides then looked down at himself. He took his cock in his hands and Jessie winced at the feeling of it pressed against her dripping wet pussy. He stared down at her as he slid inside easily. As his thick cock stretched her open to accommodate itself, she closed her eyes and stifled a groan.

Mannix took her left hand and laid it above her head. He did the same with her right and she opened her eyes to see what he was doing. He held both her wrists together above her head and that moment, the frills of the moment were over. He no longer needed to be patient and had no intention of stopping for anything.

She was very vocal. Every movement he made forced a groan or whimper from her mouth. She felt completely full with him inside her and his movements made her body feel hot. He was smiling down at her, watching her breasts jump with every thrust and relishing in the pained expressions she was making. She caught him looking at her and after weak sigh, she raised her head, planting a single kiss on his lips. He smiled at her and closed his mouth against hers, without stopping his pumping away at her pussy, which he was sliding in and out of effortlessly because of how slippery he had made her.

He pulled her up suddenly, slipping out of her. He turned her around and pushed her forward, onto her hands and knees. For a moment, Jessie wondered if she had done something wrong until he forced himself into her from behind. She was uncertain if it was him or the change of position but he felt so much bigger inside her and she gasped. Now she was breathing through clenched teeth while he took her from behind even faster. She could hear him laughing and the sound of his hips slapping against her ass. It occurred to her that she was almost completely bare, on the floor of a barn, bent over like a bitch in heat. How dirty the whole situation was but she was still enjoying it.

She felt completely full of his cock. He was so thick inside her and he was making her body feel hot. She was starting to shudder as he enjoyed the way her pussy clung to his cock desperately. He groaned through clenched teeth, "ohhh, I can't wait to cum inside this tight little pussy."

Jessie's hands were clenching at some strands of straw on the floor when Mannix grabbed her right wrist and held it against the small of her back. He did the same with the left as well and pulled her up so she was pressed against him like before. Only now, Jessie was on her knees and her arms were behind her back and his cock was shoving in and out of her tightening pussy from behind. "Keep your arms there," he instructed her, taking a handful of her thick, black hair that was so long, it had been caressing the base of his cock when he reared her up. He pulled her hair down against his chest until she was looking up at the ceiling. This way Mannix could look down and watch as her breasts bounced with his vigor and see the expressions on her face while he forced himself into her roughly.

Her body was twitching against him and she started to bite her bottom lip. He sighed slowly with a massive smile, "what's wrong?" He laughed suddenly and grabbed one of her breasts, digging his fingers into it. "Does it feel good?"

Her hands left her back and she dug her nails into her own thighs, scraping her skin, unable to do anything else as her body started to twitch. She started to gasp repeatedly and tried to avoid looking at him watching her expressions with his satisfied toothy grin but she could not turn far enough away. It seemed beyond her ability to do anything to stop whatever was happening to her. Any way she moved made it worse as his cock slapped loudly into her even faster now.

She gritted her teeth as her lower body quivered against him. He could feel her trying to pull free of his grip but he wanted to watch her squirm through her orgasm. Even he winced as he felt her warm insides spasm and tighten around his pulsing cock. Her mouth hung open and she was breathing in short gasps, unable to take in a normal breath. Seeing the painful bliss on her face made him gasp suddenly and clench his teeth. "Girl, you 'bout to make me cum inside you," he chuckled then exhaled through his teeth. "I want to."

She finally looked at him with an expression that seemed to be pleading, "I want you to. Cum inside me."

He was not expecting her to admit it but her command seemed to suck it right out of him. He released her hair, putting his hands on her hips. Jessie stood in the same position. He pulled her hips back so he could be as deep inside her as possible. He thrust into her three more times more with a sharp gasp as then exploded inside her. "Ah, fuck!" While his cock spurted his cum into her body, he was unable to bring himself to stop smiling even through his heavy breathing.

She had not felt him cum but knowing she had brought him so much pleasure, satisfied her. When he finally started to catch his breath, he kissed her again as he slipped out of her dripping pussy. She felt something fall from her and she broke the kiss suddenly.

Mannix chuckled, kissing her neck, "that's just my cum. Why don't I put it back in for you?" He gathered it around his fingers and pushed it back inside her. She stiffened at the feeling of him inside her again. He smiled at how receptive she was to his touch now.

She picked her head up, off his chest and started to button up her shirt. All he had to do was get himself back into his pants. Once he did, she saw him lay back on the floor right next to her. He watched her button herself back up. When she was done, he gestured for her to accompany him.

"Hold on." Jessie pulled on her pants and underwear. They were still hanging on her one leg and her panties were cold when she got them up, compared to the pounding heat she just had between her legs. She crawled to her boots, which he had thrown earlier. She was just now realizing how cold it really was in the barn.

"Oh, come on," Mannix groaned as she hopped on one leg, pulling her second boot on.

"Not my fault you threw them all the way over there." She went back to him, looking down at him on the floor with a single eyebrow raised as if to say she was not about to lie there.

"So you'll take a hard fuckin' on the ground but anythin' else is out of the question?" She sighed but knew he had a point. She had just been roughed up on the very same floor. She lay down exactly like him, right next to him. "Well," he turned to her, "I ain't mean all the way over there." She scooted closer a bit and he looked disappointed. "Goddamn, woman, with me. Come here."

"Oh." She pressed herself right next to him.

"On your side." When she complied, he put his around her, cuddling with her. She had not expected him to want to be close to her beyond the sex. He nudged her head up onto his chest and started caressing her hair.

About ten minutes later, Jessie tried to wake him. She tried calling him and nudging him but he would only turn away from her. After putting on her vest, coat and her brother's duster, she went to her brother's horse and held a finger up to her mouth for the horse to be silent. She led her and two other horses back out into the blizzard and had them wait near the door of Minnie's Haberdashery. Before going to it, Jessie approached her brother's horse and took the pistol hidden in the back of the saddle. She put it in the pocket of the duster as she went to knock on the door. "Hey, it's me again! Do you happen to have a blanket?!"

She heard nothing and clicked down the hammer as she waited. She heard someone messing with the door and then yank it open.

Jessie pressed her empty hand to her chest with a heavy exhale, "whoo… Jody. Is Daisy…?"

"I got her, kid."

"Then I did good?" she asked with a big smile.

"Perfect." He laid his hand flat on her head. "I see you kept Janey alive," he said as he walked out passed her to see his horse.

"Of course." Daisy came and stood in the doorway, leaning against it. "Hey, didn't more people come with you, Jody? Where's everyone else?"

"They're all over the place," Daisy shrugged, gesturing inside.

"Damn."

Daisy motioned for Jessie to help her walk and she took her arm over her shoulders. "I told Jody not to drag you into our business but I guess you did manage. So… you put a bullet in that sheriff or what?"

Jessie nodded, "yeah."


End file.
